New Chinese Juniper

[Roho1187]

Hey Guys,

Earlier this summer, I found this daubs frosted juniper in a corner at a local nursery and got it for half off. The only thing I’ve really done done is cut the dead stuff off and try nursing it back to health. I’m just going to let it be until next year.

What direction do you think I should take with it? I have a lot of work to do concerning the legginess of the lower branches. I really dig the top bend though. I wanted to get rid of the lower top branch and train the top into a semi cascade? Is that crazy? I’m open to anything.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Esolin]

Welcome to Bonsai Nut!

That's a very nice juniper. Love the trunk. But yes, as you noted, it's gotten rather leggy. The top bend is indeed cool, but I personally think the trunk below it is too long and relatively straight for it to make a good-looking semi cascade. The two styles I think it's best suited for are literati/bunjin like the ones pictured halfway down this article:

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....Or an informal upright in the vein of Eric Shreider's trees here:

But given the legginess of the juniper currently, you'd almost certainly have to graft foliage in closer to the trunk.

Just my opinion. It's your tree to do with as you like. Again, welcome!

 

[Shibui]

The top bend is a looong way up the trunk to make semi-cascade, especially with many branches on the opposite side. Maybe windswept would be more convincing- just remove the opposite branches.
Have you checked the roots yet to see if tilting the trunk one way or another is possible? Often that helps make some decisions on style and shape.

 

[Roho1187]

Hey thanks so much for the great responses.

Esolin, I totally see bunjin working. I clicked your link. That’s a such a unique style. I love it. The main trunk curling under and a few sparse pads would look so good. You have a good eye.

Shibui, you are right. A windswept look appears way more achievable than a semi-cascade. I have set it up on an angle on my bench but it’s just so tall, I couldn’t really envision it, lol. It’s currently in a 5 gallon nursery pot. What should I be looking for in the roots that would tell me if it would be good for repotting at an angle or not?

Thanks Again!

 

[Paradox]

I think this could make a nice literati

 

[Roho1187]

I wonder how people who choose literati/bunjin style manage such little foliage without killing the tree. I understand if they grow from a seedling and train it that way, but what would someone do with a more mature tree. Would you cut the lower branches over a long time? Or would you just got for it all at once when you feel the the top portion is healthy enough.

 

[Paradox]

I wonder how people who choose literati/bunjin style manage such little foliage without killing the tree. I understand if they grow from a seedling and train it that way, but what would someone do with a more mature tree. Would you cut the lower branches over a long time? Or would you just got for it all at once when you feel the the top portion is healthy enough.

Over time while building up enough foliage at the apex to support the tree

 

[Esolin]

I wonder how people who choose literati/bunjin style manage such little foliage without killing the tree. I understand if they grow from a seedling and train it that way, but what would someone do with a more mature tree. Would you cut the lower branches over a long time? Or would you just got for it all at once when you feel the the top portion is healthy enough.

Mature trees become literati all the time, but yes it's generally a process of redirecting the tree's energy into the branches you want to grow, while weakening and removing the ones you don't. Less foliage and less roots slows down the growth rate of literati trees compared to others, but they can still be kept healthy with good regular fertilizing, pruning and pest control, just like any other bonsai.

Literati style generally represents the trees that were dwarfed and twisted by struggles in nature, whether beaten down by wind or snow drifts or reaching for scraps of sunlight in deep forest. Collected literati style trees from the wild are often scrawny and starved with very little foliage. Once in the care of bonsai artists, they are much better fed and healthy, even if their minimal branch style is maintained.

If you do go the literati route, I would suggest gradually removing or jinning the lower branches over a few growing season, giving the tree time to refocus its resources into the apical branches you wish to keep. Feed it regularly too so I can regenerate that foliage and stay healthy. You'll also need to slowly reduce it's root mass, removing big structural roots to cultiave smaller feeder ones. This can take a few years. It's always best to move slow than to rush. You avoid stressing trees to death and also making design mistakes if you give yourself plenty of time to be absolutely certain before you lop off a branch.